View source for Wolin

{{Short description|Name both of a Polish island and a town on it}}
{{About|the island|the town on Wolin island|Wolin (town)|American political theorist|Sheldon Wolin}}
{{Redirect|Wollin|the town in Germany|Wollin, Brandenburg}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Wolin
| image_name       = Zalewszczecinski.jpeg
| image_caption    = Landsat satellite photo of [[Oder Lagoon]] - Wolin is the eastern of the two large islands separating the waters of the Lagoon from the Baltic Sea, the western island is [[Usedom]]
| image_size       =
| map_image        = Wolin-Topomap.png
| map_caption      = Map of Wolin
| location         = [[Baltic Sea]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|53|55|N|14|30|E|region:PL_type:isle_scale:500000|display=it}}
| archipelago      =
| total_islands    =
| major_islands    =
| area_km2         = 265
| length_km        =
| width_km         =
| coastline_km     =
| highest_mount    =
| elevation_m      =
| country          = {{Flag|Poland}}
| country_admin_divisions_title   = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| country_admin_divisions         = [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Powiat|County]]
| country_admin_divisions_1       = [[Kamień County|Kamień]], [[Świnoujście]]
| country_largest_city            = [[Świnoujście]]
| country_largest_city_population = 
| population       =
| population_as_of =
| demonym = Wolinians
| density_km2      =
| ethnic_groups    = [[Polish people|Poles]]
| timezone         = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset       = +1
| timezone_DST     = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST   = +2
| additional_info  =
}}

'''Wolin''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈvɔlin|lang}}; {{langx|de|Wollin}} {{IPA|de|vɔˈliːn|}}) is a Polish island in the [[Baltic Sea]], just off the Polish coast. Administratively, the island belongs to the [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]. Wolin is separated from the island of [[Usedom]] (Uznam) by the Strait of [[Świna]], and from mainland [[Pomerania]] by the Strait of [[Dziwna]]. The island has an area of {{convert|265|km2|0|abbr=on}} and its highest point is Mount Grzywacz at 116 m above sea level. The number of inhabitants is 30,000. Eastern suburbs of the city of [[Świnoujście]] extend to the Wolin island, while the towns of [[Międzyzdroje]] and [[Wolin (town)|Wolin]] lie further east.

Water from the river [[Oder]] flows into the [[Szczecin Lagoon]] and from there through the [[Peene]] west of Usedom, [[Świna]] and [[Dziwna]] into the [[Bay of Pomerania]] in the [[Baltic Sea]].

Most of the island consists of [[forest]]s and postglacial hills. In the middle is the [[Wolin National Park]]. The island is the main tourist attraction of northwestern Poland, and it is crossed by several  marked tourist trails, such as a {{convert|73|km|mi|adj=mid|-long|sp=us}} trail from Międzyzdroje to Dziwnówek. There is a main, electrified rail line, which connects [[Szczecin]] and Świnoujście, as well as the international road [[European route E65|E65]] ([[National roads in Poland#List of national roads|national road 3]] / [[Expressway S3 (Poland)|S3 expressway]]) crossing the island.

Some etymologists believe that the name is related to the name of the ancient historical region of [[Volhynia]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde |language=de |date=1968–2007|publisher=De Gruyter|others=Jankuhn, Herbert (1905-1990), Hoops, Johannes (1865-1949) |isbn=9783110183894|edition=2, völlig neu bearb. und stark erw. Aufl. unter Mitwirkung zahlreicher Fachgelehrter. Hrsg. von Herbert Jankuhn |display-authors=etal |location=Berlin |oclc=15490062}}</ref> The origins of the name then would come from the resettled [[Volhynians|Volynians]] who named the island Volyn.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved : die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. bis ins 13. Jahrhundert : Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz, Leipzig, 4.-6. Dezember 1997|date=2001|publisher=F. Steiner|author1=Harck, Ole|author2-link=Christian Lübke |author2=Lübke, Christian|isbn=978-3515076715|location=Stuttgart|oclc=48057814}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Swietowit wolinski.jpg|thumb|left|130px|One of four [[Svetovid]] wood figures, found in Wolin, from the 9th or 10th century used in home worship]]

The [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] across the river [[Dziwna]] on which Wolin is located has been used as far back as the [[Stone Age]]. Archaeological excavations of soil layers indicate that there was a settlement in the area during the [[Migration period]], at the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries. The place was then abandoned for approximately one hundred years. At the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century, the area was levelled and a new settlement constructed. The earliest evidence of fortifications dates to the first half of the 9th century. In the second half of the 9th century, there was a central fortified area and two suburbs, to the north and south of the center. These became enclosed and fortified between the end of the 9th and the 10th centuries.<ref name="filip">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Some aspects of the development of Wolin in the 8th-11th centuries in the light of the results of new research | encyclopedia=Polish lands at the turn of the first and the second millennium | publisher=Institute of Archeology and Ethnology. Polish Academy of Sciences | author=Filipowiak, Władysław | editor=Przemysław, Urbanczyk | year=2004 | pages=47–74}}</ref>

A medieval document from the mid-9th century, called the ''[[Bavarian Geographer]]'' after its anonymous creator, mentions the Slavic tribe of [[Wolinians]] who had 70 strongholds at that time (''Uelunzani civitates LXX''). The town of Wolin was first mentioned in 965, by [[Ibrahim ibn Jakub]], who referred to the place as ''Weltaba''.<ref name="filip"/>

The period of greatest development during the medieval period was between the 9th and the 11th centuries. Around 896 AD a new port was constructed and the main part of the town acquired new, stronger fortifications, including a wooden palisade made of halved 50-centimetre wide tree trunks, a [[Defensive wall|rampart]] and a retaining wall.<ref name="filip"/>

Archaeologists believe that in the [[Early Middle Ages]] Wolin was a great trade emporium, spreading along the shore for four kilometres and rivalling in importance [[Birka]] and [[Hedeby]].

[[File:20180802-DSC 5654.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Wolin National Park]] on the island]]
In 967, the island became controlled by [[Poland]], under the country's first historic ruler, Duke [[Mieszko I]].<ref name=mw>{{cite web|url=http://www.muzeumwolin.pl/wystawa-sladami-wczesnosredniowiecznego-wolina-winety-jomsborga|title=Wystawa Śladami wczesnośredniowiecznego Wolina - Winety - Jomsborga|website=Muzeum Wolin|access-date=31 May 2020|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Labuda|first=Gerard|year=1993|title=Chrystianizacja Pomorza (X–XIII stulecie)|magazine=Studia Gdańskie|language=pl|location=Gdańsk-Oliwa|volume=IX|page=47}}</ref> However, it has not been established if Wolin became directly part of Poland, or if it was a [[fief]]. Mieszko I encompassed the town of Wolin with defensive ramparts.<ref name=mw/> Polish influences were not firm and they ended around 1007. In the following years, Wolin became famous for its pirates, who would plunder ships cruising the Baltic. As a reprisal, in 1043 it was attacked by the [[Norway|Norwegian]] king [[Magnus I of Norway|Magnus the Good]].<ref name="filip"/>

In the early 12th century, the island, as part of the Pomeranian duchy, was captured by the Polish monarch [[Boleslaw III Wrymouth]]. Shortly after, the inhabitants of Wolin accepted Christianity, and in 1140 pope [[Innocent II]] created a [[Bishopric of Wolin|diocese]] there, with its capital in the town of Wolin. In 1170, the [[battle at Julin Bridge]] took place there. In 1185 the dukes of Pomerania became vassals of [[Denmark]], and in 1227, they fell under suzerainty of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In 1535, Wolin accepted Protestant [[Lutheranism]]. In 1630, during the [[Thirty Years' War]], the island was captured by [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]. It passed to the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1720 as a result of the [[Treaties of Stockholm (Great Northern War)|Treaty of Stockholm]]. From 1871, the island was part of the [[German Empire]]. During [[World War II]], in February 1945, a German-perpetrated [[The March (1945)|death march]] of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] prisoners-of-war from the [[Stalag XX-B]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|POW camp]] passed through the island.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kaszuba|first=Sylwia|editor-last=Grudziecka|editor-first=Beata|title=Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana|language=pl|location=Malbork|publisher=Muzeum Miasta Malborka|page=108|chapter=Marsz 1945|isbn=978-83-950992-2-9}}</ref> After [[Nazi Germany]]'s defeat in the war, it became again part of Poland.

In 1949–1950, a military hospital was based on the island, in which some 2,000 wounded or ill [[Greeks]] and [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], partisans and [[refugees of the Greek Civil War]], were treated by the Poles.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kubasiewicz|first=Izabela|editor-last1=Dworaczek|editor-first1=Kamil|editor-last2=Kamiński|editor-first2=Łukasz|year=2013|title=Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|pages=116–117|chapter=Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości}}</ref>

In 2015, the [[Świnoujście LNG terminal]] was opened.

=== Connection with Jomsborg and Vineta ===
Archaeological finds on the island are not very rich but they dot an area of 20 hectares, making it the second largest Baltic marketplace of the [[Viking Age]] after Hedeby.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} Some scholars have speculated that Wolin may have been the basis for the semi-legendary settlements [[Jomsborg]] and [[Vineta]]. However, others have rejected the identification, or even the historical existence of Jomsborg and Vineta (for example, [[Gerard Labuda]]).<ref name="koczy">{{cite journal | title=Jomsborg | author=Koczy, Leon | journal=The Polish Review | year=1960 | volume=5 | issue=3 | pages=38–58 | jstor=25776319 }}</ref>

Gwyn Jones notes that the size of the town was exaggerated in contemporary sources, for example by [[Adam of Bremen]] who claimed Wolin/Jomsborg was "the largest town in Europe". {{citation needed|date=March 2022}} Archaeological excavations, however, have found no evidence of a harbor big enough for 360 warships (as claimed by Adam) or of a major citadel. The town was inhabited by both Slavs and Scandinavians.<ref name=jones>Gwyn Jones. ''A History of the Vikings''. Oxford University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-19-280134-1}}. Page 127.</ref>

[[File:The Curmsun Disc - Obverse.png|right|thumb|185px|Curmsun Disc - obverse]]
A golden disc bearing the name of [[Harald Bluetooth]] and Jomsborg appeared in Sweden in autumn 2014. The disc, also called the [[Curmsun Disc]], is made of high gold content and has a weight of 25,23 gram. On the obverse there is a Latin inscription and on the reverse there is a Latin cross with four dots surrounded by an octagonal ridge. The inscription reads: "+ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+" and translates as "Harald Gormsson king of [[Danes]], [[Scania]], Jomsborg, town Aldinburg".<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9647410/A_unique_object_from_Harald_Bluetooth_s_time._2015_ S. Rosborn, ''A unique object from Harald Bluetooth's time?'' Malmö: Pilemedia, 2014, pp. 4-5]</ref>

It is assumed that the disc was a part of a Viking hoard found in 1840 in the Polish village [[Wiejkowo]] near the [[Wolin (town)|town of Wolin]] by Heinrich Boldt, the maternal great-great-grandfather of Hollywood actors and producers [[Ben Affleck]] and [[Casey Affleck]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/9647410 |title=A unique object from Harald Bluetooth's time |first=Sven |last=Rosborn |publisher=Academia |date=23 April 2015 |access-date=10 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201085538/http://www.academia.edu/9647410/A_unique_object_from_Harald_Bluetooth_s_time._2015_ |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="tvn.pl">{{cite news |url=https://dziendobry.tvn.pl/wideo,2064,n/skarb-zwiazany-z-rodzina-afflecka-w-rekach-polaka,234066.html |title=A treasure associated with Ben Affleck in the hands of a Polish family |publisher=TVN News |date=10 January 2018 |access-date=10 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109235431/https://dziendobry.tvn.pl/wideo,2064,n/skarb-zwiazany-z-rodzina-afflecka-w-rekach-polaka,234066.html |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The disc was rediscovered in 2014 by an eleven year old schoolgirl who found it in an old casket and then brought it to school.<ref>[http://www.skd.se/2014/11/21/skolarbete-ledde-till-unikt-guldfynd/ H. Jakobsson, ''Skolarbete ledde till unikt guldfynd'', Skånska Dagbladet, November 11, 2014]</ref>

==Sights==
Among the natural, historic and tourist sights of Wolin are:
*[[Wolin National Park]]
*[[Świnoujście Lighthouse]], one of the tallest lighthouses in the world, the tallest lighthouse in Poland, and tallest brick lighthouse in the world<ref>{{cite rowlett|tallest}}</ref>
*the town of [[Międzyzdroje]] with its beach, [[Międzyzdroje Pier|pier]], Nature Museum of the Wolin National Park, [[wax museum]], Walk of Fame (''[[:pl:Promenada Gwiazd w Międzyzdrojach|Promenada Gwiazd]]''), Baltic [[Miniature park|Miniature Park]] (''Bałtycki Park Miniatur''), and spa park with the monument of [[Fryderyk Chopin]]
*[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Saint Nicholas church in [[Wolin (town)|Wolin]]
*Regional Museum in Wolin
*Gerhard's Fort of Świnoujście Fortress with the Coastal Defense Museum (''[[:pl:Muzeum Obrony Wybrzeża w Świnoujściu|Muzeum Obrony Wybrzeża]]'') in Świnoujście
*Medieval [[gród|stronghold]] and viewing point in [[Lubin, Kamień County|Lubin]]
*Miniature park in [[Dziwnów]]
*Beach in [[Międzywodzie]]
*[[:pl:Rezerwat przyrody Łuniewo|Łuniewo]] [[nature reserve]]
<gallery mode="packed" heights=160>
Latarnia Morska Świnoujście.jpg|[[Świnoujście Lighthouse]]
Międzyzdroje - panoramio.jpg|Międzyzdroje beach
Miedzyzdroje molo 2.jpg|[[Międzyzdroje Pier]]
Wax museum Międzyzdroje 2011.jpg|Wax museum in [[Międzyzdroje]]
Kolegiata św. Mokołaja Wolin.jpg|Saint Nicholas church in [[Wolin (town)|Wolin]]
560 z 02.08.1968 Świnoujście, Fort I 02.JPG|Gerhard's Fort in [[Świnoujście]]
</gallery>

== Culture ==
[[File:Viking-parade2.jpg|thumb|220px|Opening parade at Viking and Slavic Festival in 2004]]
Annually, the island is home to Europe's biggest Germanic-Slavic Viking festival.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.jomsborg-vineta.com | title=Strona główna| date=2017-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wolin.pl|title=www.wolin.pl|website=www.wolin.pl}}</ref>

The officially protected traditional [[alcoholic beverage]] of Wolin is ''Trójniak woliński leśny'' (as designated by the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland]]).<ref name=twl>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/trojniak-wolinski-lesny|title=Trójniak woliński leśny|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|accessdate=23 May 2021|language=pl}}</ref> It is a type of local [[Mead in Poland|Polish mead]] of 12-14% [[alcohol by volume]].<ref name=twl/>

== Places on Wolin ==
[[File:Latarnia morska, 1854-1857 (18).JPG|thumb|Świnoujście, eastern part, located on Wolin]]
[[File:Festiwal Słowian i Wikingów 2009 66.jpg|thumb|[[Wolin (town)]]]]

===Towns===
* [[Dziwnów]]<ref>Southern part. Northern part is located within mainland Poland.</ref>
* [[Międzyzdroje]]
* [[Świnoujście]]<ref>North-eastern part. Western and southern portions are located on the [[Uznam]], [[Karsibór]] and other islands.</ref>
* [[Wolin (town)|Wolin]]<ref>Mostly located on Wolin, with a small portion located on the neighbouring [[Wolińska Kępa]] island.</ref>

===Villages===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Chynowo]]
* [[Dargobądz]]
* [[Darzowice]]
* [[Domysłów]]
* [[Jarzębowo]]
* [[Karnocice]]
* [[Kodrąb, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Kodrąb]]
* [[Kodrąbek]]
* [[Kołczewo]]
* [[Korzęcin]]
* [[Lubin, Kamień County|Lubin]]
* [[Ładzin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Ładzin]]
* [[Łuskowo]]
* [[Międzywodzie]]
* [[Mokrzyca Mała]]
* [[Mokrzyca Wielka]]
* [[Płocin]]
* [[Rabiąż]]
* [[Rekowo, Gmina Wolin|Rekowo]]
* [[Sierosław, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Sierosław]]
* [[Sułomino]]
* [[Świętouść]]
* [[Wapnica, Kamień County|Wapnica]]
* [[Warnowo, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Warnowo]]
* [[Wicko, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Wicko]]
* [[Wisełka]]
* [[Unin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Unin]]
* [[Zastań]]
* [[Żółwino, Kamień County|Żółwino]]
{{div col end}}

==Transport==
Polish [[National roads in Poland|National roads]] [[National road 3 (Poland)|3]] and 93, and [[Voivodeship road 102 (Poland)|Voivodeship road 102]], pass through the island. The [[Solidarity Szczecin–Goleniów Airport]] is located approximately 60&nbsp;km from the island.

In 2023, the underwater [[Świnoujście Tunnel]] connecting the islands of Wolin and Usedom was officially opened. The project cost EUR 191 million constitutes the only fixed link between two parts of the city and between the rest of country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7784/Artykul/3199847,eur-191-mln-underwater-tunnel-opens-in-polands-swinoujscie |title=EUR 191 mln underwater tunnel opens in Poland's Świnoujście |website=polskieradio.pl |date=30 June 2023 |access-date=22 July 2023}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Świnoujście - Gazoport - 2018-06-02 16-33-02.jpg|thumb|[[Świnoujście LNG terminal]]]]
The [[Świnoujście LNG terminal]] is located on the island.

== Distances ==
*[[Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport]] ~ 60&nbsp;km
*[[Szczecin]] ~ 90&nbsp;km
*[[Police, West Pomeranian Voivodeship|Police]] ~ 110&nbsp;km
*[[Berlin]] ~ 220&nbsp;km
*[[Rostock]] ~ 240&nbsp;km
*[[Copenhagen]] ~ 250&nbsp;km
*[[Malmö]] ~ 250&nbsp;km
*[[Warsaw]] ~ 650&nbsp;km

==See also==
* [[Curmsun Disc]]
* [[Jomsborg]]
* [[Jomsvikings]]
* [[Wolin Svetovit]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Islands in the Baltic Sea}}
{{Polish coast|state=autocollapse}}
{{Baltic emporia}}
{{Pomerania}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Polish islands in the Baltic]]
[[Category:Islands of Poland]]
[[Category:Landforms of West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Jomsvikings]]